Will an 1987-1996 cowl fit on my 1985? I'd like to upgrade and have smaller vent holes, and 2 sprayers.

 

Yes, it will.

 

Thanks, I just wanted to make sure, before I go to the junk yard and buy one

 

Understand. But, I personally prefer the slots over the polka dots of the later cowl. So my body man is going to glue a plastic screen to the bottom of mine to keep leaves etc out but keep the slotted look. He says there's a black plastic screen that's used for that on many of the earlier vehicles.

 

I used standard aluminum screening.

 

87 to 91 cowls will fit but 92 and later will not fit right. I found out the hard way...... The hood will hit the 92 and up cowl.

So I took the washer squirters and fit them into the older cowl.

 

The 92-96 cowl panels don't have the same contours that match up with the hood (they're flat), they have different squirters, and don't have a hole for the antenna to mount.

But they can be used (or so I'm told, haven't tried it yet).

 

'92-'96 will leave gaps on the end, they keep the round contour where ours straighten out towards the ends. I think they physically fit though. I liked the dual squirters but went with the '87-'91 style when I did the Bullnose swap on my '92. Antennas are there on all and match up the same, wipers line up, etc.

 

I just did the screen mod. I used aluminum screening but I painted the side facing up black before installing it. I used dabs of epoxy in about 8 or 10 places (you'll need a bunch of clamps to hold the screen down while the epoxy sets up).
I also had a can of bed liner spray available/open since I was spraying the cowl area, so I sprayed the underside of the cowling (masking off the openings). That really did a great job of holding the screen in place and gluing down every possible place.

 

I'd be worried about the snow & ice if I were to do the screen thing, I sometimes beat on that area with the snow brush to clear it out and a screen would prevent that. But it sounds like a good idea if you don't have to worry about that stuff....

 

Chris, why are you swearing , using the S--- word?

While the cowl vent is off it's a good idea to clean out any debris especially down the sides, and check for any seam seal voids.

 

Even with the screen on the 80-86 cowl, you still have to fish the leaves off of the top of the screen when they work their way into the gaps. I tried that method, but if you park under trees, forget about it.

On the 87-91 cowl, I only have to fish the leaves out of the wiper openings.

 

Guess it comes from decades of living in the clouds (the thin air causes oxygen deprivation resulting in stunted growth and reduced mental capacity) and I'm still waiting for the "hot" weather to arrive.

Besides, it'll be snowing again in less than three months....

 

When I was young I thought I wanted to retire to a cabin in the mountains in CO. But, as I "matured" I came to the realization that I like snow in short bursts rather than for months at a time.

So, I'm not worried about snow in the cowl, and I'm not going to beat on my truck. Further, I don't park under trees so I'm not worried about a leaf or two getting hung up on the cowl. Therefore the mesh under the cowl will work well for me.